From idols to outfits, K-fashion goes offline and overseas to China and Japan

SEOUL, Jan 5 — After K-pop, K-animation and K-beauty, South Korea is positioning K-fashion as the next major K-wave export, with brands accelerating overseas expansion as domestic growth slows.

Industry players say global fascination with South Korean culture has created fertile ground for K-fashion to grow into a key export category alongside K-food and K-beauty, The Korean Herald reported.

According to the news report, fashion group LF is expanding brand by brand in China, opening a Hazzys flagship store in Shanghai this month while doubling down on localisation and department store-led premium positioning.

LF subsidiary CTDOTS is also testing China’s youth market by staging a Dunst pop-up on Shanghai’s Huaihai Road through Jan 14, turning its online appeal into an immersive offline experience.

LF, is a long-established major apparel group with a stable of recognised brands such as Hazzys, giving it scale, manufacturing depth and the ability to push K-fashion into overseas markets through premium, department store-led expansion.

Industry insiders say overseas expansion has become a necessity rather than a choice, as weak consumption, economic uncertainty and demographic pressures limit growth at home.

Musinsa is emerging as a key driver of this push, combining platform scale with physical retail to introduce K-fashion to global consumers.

Musinsa is widely regarded as South Korea’s most influential fashion platform, playing a central role in shaping domestic trends and exporting Korean designer brands to global markets through its online reach and growing network of physical stores.

The company opened its first overseas multi-brand store, Musinsa Store Shanghai Anfu Road, last month, blending heritage architecture with contemporary Korean design in one of the city’s trendiest districts.

Japan is another priority market, with contemporary casual brand Satur using Japan and China as launchpads for broader Asian expansion.

Satur drew attention after its Harajuku flagship generated about 300 million won in sales within a week last October, and it plans new outlets in Osaka and Nagoya in 2026.

As these South Korean fashion brands deepen their offline presence across China and Japan, the focus is shifting to experience-led retail as the next chapter in the evolving K-wave.